The anime streaming service Crunchyroll has recently stepped foot into the world of conventions with its first annual Crunchyroll Expo, or CRX for short. Taking place at the Santa Clara convention center from August 25th to the 27th, the event’s launch seemed to be a success.
Some friends and I attended the event on the weekend, looking forward to perusing through merchandise stands for our favorite anime(s) or meeting famous people. Once we arrived, I noticed that the centre was thankfully not too packed, but populated enough to where the convention still felt alive and bustling with your average fans, cosplayers, and even some internet celebrities.
Some friends and I attended the event on the weekend, looking forward to perusing through merchandise stands for our favorite anime(s) or meeting famous people. Once we arrived, I noticed that the centre was thankfully not too packed, but populated enough to where the convention still felt alive and bustling with your average fans, cosplayers, and even some internet celebrities.
Most of my time was spent browsing through the various posters, pins, charms and other merchandise found at the convention’s Artist Alley, a location reserved for artists from around the world. Booths were plastered with posters and prints of numerous fandoms such as My Hero Academia, Star Versus the Forces of Evil, and Overwatch. Walking around, my friends and I were very impressed with the sheer talent and passion the attending artists had with their work. We ended up expressing this respect with our wallets, spending money on merchandise until our wallets coughed up dust.
The exhibit hall also took a fair amount of our time at CRX. It housed anime publishers and businesses vending merchandise, as well as some interactive games and showcases. And, like in the Artist Alley, my friends and I also spent a fair amount of money at the exhibit hall in the pursuit for more fandom items.
As for the live sessions, we didn’t attend many. Most of the panels and other events I wanted to attend were on Friday, and my friends didn’t have many sessions in mind either. Getting autographs would have been a hassle in any case, as the only way to get one is to go to the convention about an hour before doors open to receive autograph tickets. We also didn’t attend many panels-- actually, we only attended one. Still, the panel we attended was fun with a fairly large crowd, entertaining panelists, and a space that felt like a mix of a theatre and a game show.
The exhibit hall also took a fair amount of our time at CRX. It housed anime publishers and businesses vending merchandise, as well as some interactive games and showcases. And, like in the Artist Alley, my friends and I also spent a fair amount of money at the exhibit hall in the pursuit for more fandom items.
As for the live sessions, we didn’t attend many. Most of the panels and other events I wanted to attend were on Friday, and my friends didn’t have many sessions in mind either. Getting autographs would have been a hassle in any case, as the only way to get one is to go to the convention about an hour before doors open to receive autograph tickets. We also didn’t attend many panels-- actually, we only attended one. Still, the panel we attended was fun with a fairly large crowd, entertaining panelists, and a space that felt like a mix of a theatre and a game show.
There did seem to be some minor hiccups at CRX in terms of the scheduling of some of events. Time changes did occur, though they were extremely uncommon, and it didn’t really seem like too much of an inconvenience to my experience.
Looking at the event as a whole, I’d say that it was a very nice experience. Crunchyroll did a great job managing their first convention well, to where I can say that I’ll most likely attend the next one.
Looking at the event as a whole, I’d say that it was a very nice experience. Crunchyroll did a great job managing their first convention well, to where I can say that I’ll most likely attend the next one.